Former Boyfriend Is Held in Murder Of Brooklyn Nurse

The former boyfriend of a 29‐year‐old nurse found strangled in her Brooklyn apartment early Sunday morning turned, himself into the police yesterday afternoon and was later charged with murder.

The suspect, Nathaniel Kersey 34, of 743 Clinton Avenue, had been sought for questioning after the police learned he had lived for a year with the murder victim, Rita McCarthy, before moving out of her apartment at 936 President Street month ago.

Mrs. McCarthy, who had been separated from her husband for three years, received a Master's degree in nursing from Columbia University last week.

Mr. Kersey walked into the 78th Precinct station house about 3:30 P.M. after the police had flooded the Park Slope neighborhood with his photograph and questioned employes at a. Fifth Avenue wholesale meat market where he worked.

Detectives said Mrs. McCarthy had been strangled early Saturday morning—about 24 hours, before her body was discovered—and that Mr. Kersey, who reportedly described himself as in “a stupor.” had ransacked her apartment to make it look as if it had been burglarized.

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A version of this archives appears in print on May 27, 1975, on Page 33 of the New York edition with the headline: Former Boyfriend Is Held in Murder Of Brooklyn Nurse. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe